When a man or woman worships a cow,
their good karma is increased … (long pause)

Karma … good and bad deeds hanging in
the balance of life. (long pause)

With more than 330 million gods
available for worship, how can he know when the right god has been
sufficiently appeased? …

When the good and bad deeds from his
previous life were brought with him into his present existence, what was
the "opening balance" at his birth? …

With each act of
worship, what is the state of his karma? …

What difference did today's worship
make? …

Clearly, a Hindu man cannot think of
himself as being created equal when he carries with him karma from
previous births that have determined his current circumstance of life –
high caste or low.

Implicit and intrinsic to being Hindu
is being unequally born. The Indian Constitution decrees equal rights
for every citizen. Yet, … daily life for a committed Hindu is veiled in
a striving after better karma for his next life … a higher caste …long
pause

and the quest for a god or guru who
will promise to ease the suffering in this present world. … Someone
who will offer protection and prosperity for his family.

Appeasing his gods is
an uncertain and endless task. Determining which god to worship, which
offering to present that will be adequate to achieve the desired outcome
can be perplexing and frustrating.

Although worship for a Hindu
is individual, and most often practiced at home, worship at temples and
shrines is practiced for some on a daily basis … for special occasions
or in supplication for the most critical of life's circumstances….long
pause.

In search of more good karma, better
karma, Hindu pilgrims share in worship along side Muslims at Haji Ali, a
famous Muslim mausoleum.

Pictures of Jesus are often included in
Hindu temples as another option … another possibility for their devotion
and hope. Hindus are proud of their religion being "inclusive" of all
forms of worship, of all gods. Jesus is easily assimilated into the
menagerie.

In a large new temple, Hindus worship
the god or goddess of their choice. They worship the most ancient of
gods as well as the most recent, along with many other popular deities
in Mumbai.

Idols and images of Sai Baba are also
here. Even in death, this guru, … who died in 1918, … continues to be
worshipped as do a huge array of living holy men, spiritual guides and
deceased relatives.

Today, … in caves centrally located in
Mumbai, … the gods worshipped by their ancestors 3000 years ago are
still worshipped. At one of the city's "high places", devoted Hindus
climb the 168 steps to worship the ancient gods and goddesses there.

The choices of how and what
to worship … where and how to worship … and with whom are endless.

Where will the Hindus find the answers
for life’s problems? The choices of how and what to worship … and with
whom … are endless … as are the sacrifices that must be made.

These Hindus have made a sacrifice.
They have worshipped. They have done a good deed. Their good karma has
been increased.

However, just as the cow will need to
be fed again, so it is with their karma balance.

The Hindus need to hear the words of
Jesus, “I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the
Father, but through Me.”

Speaking
to Believers in Chapter 5 of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says, “YOU are the
light of the world. … Let your light shine before men in such a way that
they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Will YOU take the Light to the people of Mumbai? Will YOU introduce
them to Jesus? Will YOU show them that Jesus is the way, the truth, and
the life? What will YOU do?

***

Pronunciation guide:

Karma: CAR-ma.

Mumbai: emphasis
on last syllable. Moom-BYE

Sai Baba: Saibaba
– Seye BAH ba (pronounce all together, with a long I as in ice cream)

Haji Ali: Ha-jee-ah-lee.
Pronounce all together…

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